European ESTHER Alliance meeting; Thursday 12th and Friday 13th December 2013, Dublin, Ireland

Last week saw the gathering of ESTHER Alliance representatives from France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin. Over the course of two days, the meeting’s attendees collaborated to help build the ESTHER Alliance’s coming 5-year strategy to strengthen institutional partnerships between European hospitals and health institutions, and their counterparts throughout countries in the developing world. Delegates spoke of their countries’ progress to-date, giving presentations on a wide range of novel and highly- useful initiatives, that have facilitated the international sharing of essential life-saving expertise, skills, personnel and resources. These partnerships have to-date made a significant difference in enhancing healthcare capacity in around 40 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Central and South America, and South-East Asia.

Friday morning’s proceedings were opened by Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, who reaffirmed Ireland’s strong commitment to health systems strengthening overseas. This commitment was echoed by Dr Philip Crowley, National Director, Quality and Patient Safety of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Representing Irish Institutions were Eric O’Flynn, of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), partnered with College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), and Professor Tony Ryan of Cork University Hospital, partnered with Omdusman Maternity Hospital, Sudan.

The meeting helped further cement collaboration and knowledge-sharing between the ESTHER partners, to build best-practice, as well as facilitating strategic planning to help attain European Alliance goals, heading towards the post Millennium Development Goals period beyond 2015.

For more information about ESTHER Ireland click here